Thu May 24 | 5:00 pm | VIFC

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Curated by Loretta Todd

Curator in attendance.

Read the essay that accompanies this program The Realm of Documentary Today.

What’s a Meme and why for mothers? A meme is a unit of cultural information transferred and adapted. Now memes are those annoying email questionnaires you get asking you spring or fall, popcorn or twizzlers, or to list your favourites songs. Some say a meme is meant to change thought patterns. Am I trying to change thought patterns about mothers? DOXA does happen close to Mother’s Day, which was conceived as a movement to “promote the alliance of different nationalities…and general interests of peace.” We all have never-ending relationships to our birth – parents, siblings, birthdays. In a world where relationships are valued primarily for personal advancement, once we’re adults, do we really need a mother? “Mother” denotes a dynamic, fluid relationship which should be based on reciprocal respect. Hmmm – a world based on reciprocal respect? Another reason for Memes for Mothers? Aboriginal mothers have the lowest standing in a world where hierarchies persist. Young mother to son, young son to mother, future mothers, a son who lost his mother to the cold-heart of colonialism. Yes, this is also an honouring of Aboriginal mothers.

Endangered

Director: Tracey Rigney, Australia, 2005, 25 minutes
Endangered portrays Aboriginal women lamenting how most Aboriginal men are married, gay, preoccupied with being single, or perhaps in jail. Cheeky, fun, light-hearted with quick wit, Endangered looks at the prelude to motherness –  finding a man. Sociological enquiry? Nah, but some social truths with a great soundtrack you can dance to.

City of Life (for my son)

Director: Kamala Todd-Darrell, Canada, 2007, 3 minutes
A short, personal story from a mother to a child about finding Aboriginal teachings and knowledge, even in the city.

Untitled

Director: Darcy O’Connor, Canada/Australia, 2007, 2 minutes
Using lino-cut imagery and evocative soundscape, the director expresses thoughts and feelings about mothers.

Case 442

Director: Mitch Torres, Australia, 2005, 49 minutes
Frank Byrne is not a young man but he never gave up his childhood dream – to find his mother. After Frank was taken to mission school his mother was institutionalized, depressed at losing her son. No one in the village knew what happened to her and she died in that institution. Sixty years after he said goodbye and forty years since her death, Frank does the only thing he can do, bring his mother’s remains home. Made with the skilled eye of an experienced director who values story, Mitch Torres doesn’t make this easy for us because neither does Frank. A matter-of-fact man, Franks says he has few tears left, but he carries a sadness almost as a shield. How does Torres respect Frank’s need for distance? How does she avoid picking the scabs to get her story? Torres inscribes the film with lyrical beauty, keeps the camera at a respectful distance and lets Frank come to trust her and to trust himself.

Program Length: 79 minutes

Click here to read the Curator bios.